Confessions of Embarrassed Fairy Tail Mages
by HeyHeyReira
Summary: Fairy Tail guys are known for being oblivious to their potential girlfriends' feelings, but can they finally put aside their pride and make an embarrassing confession? A series of one-shot confession scenes. Gruvia, NaLu, GaLe, and more!
1. Gruvia

_Author's Note: _Well, seems like the first _Confessions of Embarrassed Fairy Tail Mages_ is out! I'm really excited! *Jumps around in joy.* This was co-written by my fellow author **Queen50 **and I. You should check out her works on Fiction Press; she's a good writer :)

Anyway, the first chapter is about my favorite couple, GrayxJuvia, also known as Gruvia! Queen50 and I will be sure to write more confession scenes for other ships as well. Currently, we're planning to write NaLu and GaLe. But Jerza, Lories, HappyxCarla, RoWen, and LyonxChelia are definite possibilities too. If any of you have pairings that you like, please request! :D

Here's a guide to the few Japanese phrases we used in the story:

_nakama: _comrade, friend

_baka: _idiot

_daisuki o: _I love you

_gomen nasai: _I'm sorry

_Disclaimer: _**Queen50** and I do not own Fairy Tail. If I owned it, all the couples we ship would be canon already.

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**Confessions of Embarrassed Fairy Tail Mages**

_Chapter 1: Gruvia/Begin_

In a famous guild in Magnolia, Fiore, a particular blue-haired water mage sat at the bar. Din unpleasantly filled the room, although she was barely aware of it, lost in thought. Around her, her guildmates were throwing tables, engaging in verbal - and in the fire dragon slayer and ice maker's case, physical - matches. All in all, it was a typical day in Fairy Tail. But there was something out of place: the usually cheerful water mage was frowning, eyes looking strangely downcast.

The blonde and the redhead were seated at a table near Juvia, a piece of strawberry cake in front of the latter. They, too, had noticed the bluenette's melancholy.

"Erza, doesn't Juvia look kinda gloomy? I mean, everyone else is enjoying themselves," the celestial mage asked her armored friend. "Should we go and talk to her?"

Erza glanced over. It wasn't hard to spot Juvia. Her pensive expression didn't exactly fit in with the cheerful and slightly crazy faces of her drunken guildmates. "I think we should -"

A flash of black hair streaked past her, the tips seared by flames. She saw Gray freeze in place when he spotted Juvia alone at the bar. The scarlet-haired girl sweat dropped as Natsu landed an easy punch on Gray's shirtless stomach, taking advantage of the stripper's momentarily distracted state. "Oi, stripper! Fight me!" cried the pink - "it's salmon!" - haired mage.

"We should what?"

Erza smirked at Lucy. "I think we should let a certain ice mage take care of her. You know, the one who strips unconsciously?" she added with a small smile.

The blonde grinned mischievously in consent, eyes twinkling in mirth.

Meanwhile, Gray, noticing the depressed atmosphere of his _nakama_, walked away from the fiery dragon-slayer mid-brawl, who called after him angrily.

"Yo, Ice Brain! Where do you think you're going? We haven't finished -" Natsu cut himself off as he felt an intimidating aura radiating from the requip mage behind him, who had taken it upon herself to discipline him for intervening in Gray's journey. "H-hey, Erza..." the dragon slayer whimpered meekly, sweat pouring from his brow. Gray rolled his eyes and turned away from the bashing that followed, glad he wasn't the one getting punished by Erza. He almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.

Ignoring the metallic thunk and Natsu's cries, he walked toward his guildmate, surprised when she barely registered his presence. Worried by the lack of reaction, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She jumped a bit, startled when she felt the cool touch that could only belong to Gray-sama.

She looked up, shifting so she could face him. "Gray-sama?" she stuttered, feeling herself flush at the contact.

"Hey, Juvia. You okay? You look kinda...down."

"Oh, Juvia is alright. Juvia was just thinking about the time when she wasn't this lucky. She was always alone, but now that she's joined Fairy Tail, she feels grateful to have these _nakama_ who always have her back," she told him, smiling serenely. "The rain has finally gone away…"

"You're a member of Fairy Tail now. You're our family," Gray said sincerely. For some reason, to see Juvia so wistful made him feel solemn, though moments ago he was looking forward to beating the living hell out of the flame brain.

"It's nice to hear someone saying that to Juvia," the rain woman blushed. "Gray-sama was the one who took away Juvia's rain. So she will do whatever it takes to keep his skies clear, because Juvia loves Gray-sama."

The man in question turned his head to the side quickly, unable to meet Juvia's shining cerulean eyes. How could she say that so calmly? His face reddened at the mere mention of the four-lettered word. "I don't -" he stammered.

"Gray-sama doesn't have to say anything. Juvia understands that he can't return her feelings. But, even so, she wants to protect him." And with that, she floated past him.

The raven-haired mage stood like a still doll, seemingly paralyzed by her words. Why did they have such a big effect on him? Before, he brushed them off as if nothing. Now...now, everything that the water mage did - whether it was tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, summoning the ocean at will, or simply smiling - he took notice of. Was this some kind of disease? What the hell was happening to him? He shook his head, clearing himself of all thoughts. He didn't have time to think about this kind of thing.

On second thought, if not now, then when? He had been putting this off for way too long. Erza, of all people, had told him to be more resolute. But he wasn't an idiot; he just didn't know what to do. Expressing himself and love were never things he was good at. Gray groaned at his indecision. He was never this way. It was always black and white to him. But somehow, Juvia had changed those colors and made...blue. Blue, the color of her hair swaying in the wind. Blue, the shade of her eyes when she gazed at him. Blue, the color that his whole world was tinted with and right now, in this very moment, Juvia was all that mattered.

"Wait, Juvia." He reached out impulsively and grabbed her arm. Juvia's eyes doubled in size. She spun around to look the ice mage in the face.

"Y-yes, Gray-sama?"

"Ah, um... Can I speak to you? Privately?" Gray's voice shook embarrassingly, and he inwardly cursed himself. _Why is this so freaking hard?_

"O-of course."

His hand already encircled around her small wrist, he led her to a dark, lonely corner of the bar, where there was a small room waiting for them. He walked inside, shutting the door softly. It was perfect. Everyone was on the other side of the guild, watching as Erza beat Natsu up yet again. No one would hear the embarrassing confession except for himself...

"Gray-sama?"

...and Juvia. His mind had been occupied with so many thoughts that he had momentarily forgotten she was there. "I -" he gulped. She stared at him expectantly, her deep blue eyes piercing through his like one of his ice make: lance creations. "I...um -"

**Meanwhile, with the rest of Fairy Tail...**

"And you are not going to ruin this chance of a lifetime!" Erza shouted at Natsu, who was cowering in fear, a large lump forming on his head.

"Y-yes, Ma'am!" he squeaked, petrified. Erza huffed and lowered the frying pan, turning back to her strawberry cake. She sighed again, but this time in happiness, and floated into another world with the first bite of the sweet dessert. Natsu gasped in relief, thankful for the end of the abuse. Sometimes he didn't get the requip mage. Just what the hell had he done wrong?

"Natsu, let's go!" Suddenly, Lucy had grabbed his wrist and dragged him along, tracing Gray and Juvia's footsteps.

"Oi, where are we going?" Natsu said in his usual loud, boisterous tone.

"Shush! They're going to hear you, you _baka_!" Lucy reprimanded him in an irritated whisper, then silently laid her ear to the wooden door.

"Eh? Isn't that eavesdropping?" Natsu asked, still not lowering his voice. Lucy clamped a hand to his mouth, not even bothering with a reply. "Mmmph! Hmph! Lushie!"

"Shh...!" she murmured distractedly, intent on listening through the door.

**Back to one embarrassed Gray and a confused Juvia...**

"Juvia, I, uh... There's something I need to tell you." Gray forced out, hands shaking.

"Gray-sama, your clothes!" Juvia piped up with hearts in her eyes.

"Gah! When did this happen?" Exasperated, Gray threw his hands in the air and quickly retrieved his shirt from the floor. "Um, as I was saying..." He took a deep breath, letting words tumble out of his mouth.

"Juvia, I don't really know how to say this, but when I see you with Lyon, I feel..." _Shit. What am I doing? Why can't I just straight out say it, like Juvia does?_

"You feel what, Gray-sama?" the water mage whispered, heart pounding. _Is this what Juvia thinks it is?_ She felt herself slipping into a fantasy, before shaking her head, effectively taking her mind out of the gutter. _Listen to Gray-sama, Juvia!_

"I feel...uneasy. My skin burns and I just want to drag you away from him. He's from another guild, Juvia, and I don't like the thought of yo- a guildmate getting snatched away from m- us," Gray explained, turning away to cover up his rapidly reddening face.

"O-oh…" Juvia ducked her head, hiding the tears that had appeared on the corner of her eyes. To think that Gray-sama had come here to confess to her. She was an idiot and had gotten her hopes up. She knew better than that. She really did. But when she had seen Gray's trembling hands, she couldn't stop her heart from beating harder. And she couldn't stop the pain as it broke. "J-juvia understands. She will try to stay away from Lyon-sama."

The girl bit her lip, urging her tears not to fall. "If that's all that Gray-sama wanted to say to Juvia... Then she will go back to the bar now." She lightly stepped away from the ice mage, flashing him a forced smile as she walked toward the door.

"Dammit, Juvia! You're really going to make me do this, aren't you?" Gray tightened his hand around her, bringing the bluenette back to his side.

"Eh?" Juvia gasped as she was yanked suddenly into his chest.

Without warning, Gray tilted the water mage's head up and placed his lips over hers.

_?!_ Juvia's eyes widened into saucers. _Wha-…?!_ Her mind couldn't form thoughts. All she could think about was how close he was, and tender touch of his skin on hers. And then she was...melting, right there in Gray-sama's arms. The rain woman closed her eyes, relishing the blissful kiss. After what seemed like ages, Gray broke apart and smiled sweetly at her, even though he blushed fiercely.

The flustered water mage teared up again, this time out of content and happiness. She beamed back at him, throwing her arms around him as tightly as she possibly could. Moments ago, her heart had been broken, but now...there wasn't anything better than just being with Gray-sama. _Her_ Gray-sama.

"Oi, I can barely breathe," Gray laughed, but made no effort to remove her arms. Instead, he wrapped his own around her petite waist and put his head atop of hers.

"_Daisuki o_, Juvia," the ice maker whispered into her hair, smiling slightly. She smelled like the rain.

"Juvia loves - !" the girl paused. "I love you too."

**On the other side of the door...**

"Ugh, Lucy~! This is boring… Can we get some food? I'm hungry!" Natsu complained.

"Will you shut up, Natsu?!" the blonde hissed back. "I can't hear what they're saying!"

"Why do you even care?"

Just then, Erza, having finished her dessert, walked over to her blond and pink - "I told you! It's salmon!" - haired guildmates. Immediately grasping the situation, she questioned, "Gray and Juvia are in there?" When Lucy nodded excitedly, the redhead also placed her head to the door, straining her ears.

"You too, Erza?" Natsu whined, still as loud as ever. The girls sent identical glares at him. "Scary..." Natsu shivered, and weak-kneed with fear, fell face-first into the door, creating a resounding _thump_.

**Back with Juvia and Gray (officially Gruvia now)...**

"Ne, Gray-sama, do you hear something? Juvia feels like someone's speaking," she mentioned.

"Yeah, you're right." Gray laid his ear to the door, much like Lucy was doing on the other side. "It sounds like the flame brain...but I can't hear what he's saying. And that sounded like...Lucy? She seems pissed - I wonder what he did this time."

"Ah, really? What are they talking about?"

"She's saying something like...'Will you shut up, Natsu?'"

The bluenette smiled wryly. "That's not an uncommon occurrence."

Just then, there was a loud bang on the door. Gray exchanged a glance with Juvia, who looked adorably confused. "Maybe they wanted something," Juvia suggested.

"Let's check." Gray nodded to Juvia to open the door.

"Kyaaa~!" The girls screeched as they lost their balance and fell in - right on top of poor Natsu, who let out an undignified cry of pain when he felt the requip mage's armor digging into his back. Erza leapt up instantly, a barely noticeable blush painting her face.

"_Gomen nasai_! I should not have been listening to your private conversation! Punch me!" The scarlet-haired mage held out her arm in invitation. Gray and Juvia merely sweatdropped.

"E-eh... That's okay, Erza-san," the rain woman told her.

Meanwhile, the blonde, still groaning in pain, lay sprawled on top of Natsu's head. "Mmph, Lushie, you're heavy..." he mumbled into her forearm.

Red with anger, Lucy scrambled up and started whacking the dragon slayer repeatedly, chasing him out the door and through the guild. Erza followed closely behind, nodding at the way the celestial mage chose to punish him. After all, it was his fault that this embarrassing incident had happened the way it did.

The bluenette was about to go after Natsu as well, when Gray threaded his fingers through hers. Juvia's eyes widened, but she smiled as he led her out the door, his hand in hers. They blushed as catcalls, whistles, and applause filled the guild.

At a corner table, with a blue fish in his hand, Happy smirked slyly. "They lllllike each other."

_Chapter 1: Gruvia/End_

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_Author's Note: _Thank you for reading. *Hugs.* I hope you liked this fanfic! Any criticism is welcomed, as long as it's constructive. Reviews are very much appreciated! Then I can fangirl over them! Er... I mean... ANYWAY, stayed tuned for our next chapter. Any NaLu fans out there? ;)


	2. NaLu

_Author's Note:_ Hey everyone - the second chapter is out! *Dances around room.* _COEFM_ is co-written by **Queen50 **and I, and we had a fun time experimenting with NatsuxLucy. NaLu to us is a light-hearted pair, so we wanted to write a confession scene that was less intense than Gruvia's. Writing fluffier things is not our strength, but I hope we did you NaLu shippers justice! :D Especially since **Queen50 **over here is obsessive about this pair, haha. **(Queen50: WHAT?)**

Natsu is tad OOC in this chapter. Since he's usually a stupi- I mean, simple-minded person, at least when it comes to feelings, we didn't know what to do with him and his stupidit- I mean, simple-mindedness. Natsu in love is kind of a miracle and therefore can seem out of character at times. Please keep that in mind that as you read :)

Oh, and we stuffed this chapter with a bunch of bad puns xD Haha, we're so lame.

One more thing before we get to the actual story (sorry, this AN is long). **Queen50**'s copy of _COEFM_ was taken down because it was a "duplicate." Hopefully we can get it up again soon.

A guide to the Japanese phrases we used:

_neko: _cat

_gomen ne: _sorry

_nakama: _comrade, friend

_baka: _idiot

_sakura: _cherry blossom

_Disclaimer:_ **Queen50 **and I do not own Fairy Tail. If I did, Gray would have his very own Juvia doll.

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**Confessions of Embarrassed Fairy Tail Mages **

_Chapter 2: NaLu/Begin_

"Natsu, get back here!" Lucy shouted, chasing a pink - "I'm pretty sure I already said that it's salmon!" - haired idiot around the Fairy Tail guild. "How dare you ruin Gray and Juvia's moment by crashing into the door! And then you have the nerve to call me fat? Lucy-KICK!"

"Ahh!" the dragon slayer screamed for his life as a high-heeled black boot came smashing down on the table he had just rolled over. The innocent wooden object crumbled beneath the force of her signature attack. "Happy! Save me!"

"Aye sir!" the blue Exceed chimed, swooping down to lift his friend up. The blonde growled at him threateningly. "S-scary..." Happy trembled in mid-air, nearly dropping Natsu.

"Go, Happy! To Lucy's house!" Natsu cheered.

"I'm gonna eat all of Lucy's fish! After all, she doesn't need the extra food…!" the flying cat snickered.

"I'm gonna skin you alive, _neko_!" Lucy bellowed, an angry red mark appearing on her temple. Laughing, the rest of Fairy Tail watched as the trio disappeared into the distance.

Cana sighed. Even though alcohol was making her tipsy, she could clearly see what was going on between those two. "When are they going to get it together and go out?"

"If Natsu is a man, he should ask Lucy out!" Elfman nodded enthusiastically. Erza smirked in agreement.

**Several weeks later...**

"Lucy! Let's go on this job!" Natsu called across the guild, waving a piece of paper in the air.

"Eh? _Gomen ne_! I can't today; I have a date. So don't you dare disturb me!" She shook her finger at him. Flushing red, she giggled as Mirajane, Levy, Cana, and Erza surrounded her immediately, bombarding her with questions. The celestial mage had to admit that she enjoyed this kind of attention, which was bestowed upon her by both males and females. But the only person who didn't seem to give a damn was the fiery dragon slayer - whose opinion she craved most.

"A date?" Natsu echoed. "But I really wanted to fight today!" He groaned, irritated that she had something else to do.

Cana turned to give him a glare. "Are you really that much of an idiot? If Lucy can't go, find someone else," she huffed before turning back to ask the blonde who the lucky guy was.

"But I wanted to do this quest with Lucy," he mumbled beneath his breath. Fine, then. He'd just have to do as Cana said. He glanced around the crowded guild, observing his options.

_Gray?_ Natsu snorted. As if. The ice brain was probably out somewhere with Juvia, eating shaved ice. And even if the rival mages _did_ take the quest together, they'd most likely end up beating each other to death before they got the job done. So that was a definite no.

_Gajeel?_ Pfft. Not a chance. If they happened to get angry at each other during the mission, which wouldn't be surprising, considering both their fast and flaring tempers, the two dragon slayers would no doubt flatten a nearby town in their fight. Instead of earning jewels, Natsu would be paying them to repair for damage. And let's not forget having to see another magic counsel member/psychiatrist about his "destructive habits." They were so annoying. Natsu knew Gajeel wouldn't appreciate being forced to see them either. (Although, now that he thought about it, Levy could probably convince him to do it quite easily.) Therefore, Gajeel plus quest equalled a big, fat no.

_Erza?_ Nah, she was too busy fawning over the idiot who had asked Lucy out, sparkling intensely.

Who was it, anyway? It better not have been Sting, or worse, _Loke_. At least with Sting, Lucy sometimes felt uncomfortable, but the lion was one of her most beloved spirits and a close friend, not to mention a flirty playboy. The spirit would make sure that Lucy was having a good time, and Natsu couldn't bear it if the beautiful blonde had too much fun with someone else. _Wait a freaking minute… Why do I care so much about her date anyway?_

Who else could he go on a job with? All the other members of Team Natsu, except for Happy, were out, and he frowned at the thought of pairing with anyone else.

To him, Lucy seemed the only choice. After all, she was the most pure-hearted one there, not to mention the cutest. It annoyed the dragon slayer that she couldn't go on the quest with him. Not only that, but because she had a date, of all things. It kept nagging at his mind that she was going alone somewhere with another guy, and it bothered him like hell. Just thinking about it got him all fired up - in a bad way.

"Well, Happy, looks like we'll have to go on the quest by ourselves," he moped in resignation.

"Aye!" The Exceed was as Happy as ever, seemingly oblivious to the tension.

On the way home, Natsu voiced the question that had been burning in the back of his mind.

"Ne, Happy, who do you think Lucy's date is?" the Salamander asked his winged companion, hoping to come across as casual.

"Eh… I don't know," the blue cat replied. "I've heard people talking about Sting, Hibiki, Loke, Laxus, Rogue..."

Happy was cut off when Natsu growled. "Oi, that's so many people! If any of them dare to lay hands on _my_ Lucy, then they've got another thing coming for them."

Wisely, the Exceed chose to ignore that remark. But when a fuming Natsu stomped out of the room, he held a cerulean paw up to his mouth and chuckled.

**In Lucy's house...**

"Ahaha, I look great!" she giggled to her reflection, twirling around in a new dress that Juvia and Erza had helped pick out especially for the date. It was deep pink all over, almost to the point of being red, contrasting beautifully with her fair hair. The dress was simply cut at the top, and flared out right over the hips to show off her lean legs. Though it was a little too expensive for her taste, it was form-fitting, and for just one night she wanted to be the complete center of attention...or rather, the center of a particular dragon slayer's attention. "It feels really quiet… I'm surprised Natsu and Happy haven't barged in here by now." The blonde mage looked to the door, half expecting it to happen. When it didn't, she sighed. _Why do I feel so empty?_

As she was shaking herself out of self-pity, she heard a knock. Her eyes brightened. Was that really...? Lucy hastened toward the door, throwing it open. "Nat-!" she stopped mid-sentence, the smile dropping from her face. "Oh...Hibiki. It's you."

The sandy-haired man grinned, his sparkling aura permeating through her apartment. "Yes, it's me. Were you expecting someone else?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, no one." _No one except Natsu._

Of course, she should've known it wasn't the fire mage by the knock. An image of Natsu breaking into her house through her window appeared in her mind. Was there even one time he had entered in a polite - not to mention normal - way? She couldn't recall.

"Let's go," Hibiki urged. Lucy was broken out of her trance. The man slipped an arm around her waist casually, leading her outside.

"Where are we going?" the blonde mage asked, trying to break the silence. Her date smiled warmly at her.

"I decided on going to The Phoenix. Do you mind?" Hibiki replied pleasantly, as gentlemanly as ever.

"Oh, that new restaurant? Not at all! I was actually planning to go there with Nat- Er...I was planning to go. Yeah." She laughed awkwardly, trying to cover her mistake. _That's the place that we heard makes a pretty good dish of fire chicken, which I know Natsu would like... Why am I thinking about him again? Especially when I'm on a date with another man? Bad Lucy!_

The celestial mage followed behind Hibiki, who smoothly asked the waitress about their reservation. Lucy trotted hesitantly after him to a small table in the back corner, a growing sense of unease setting in her stomach.

**Meanwhile, with the dragon slayer and Exceed...**

"Happy! Let's go try out that new restaurant before we go on the quest! I heard they make awesome fire chicken!" Natsu cried cheerily, trying to disguise his growing unhappiness. _This time right now, Lucy should be on her date. I wonder where she's going._ He shook his head. _No, Natsu. Think of yummy, hot, fire chicken._ "I'm all fired up! Come on!" Calling his catchphrase, the salmon-haired mage tried to disguise the inner turmoil going through him, not realizing his flying companion could see right through his act.

"Aye!" Happy decided to play along, smirking knowingly.

Bounding into the restaurant, the flame mage told the waitress cheerily, "Table for two!"

She looked bewildered. "Two? Is there someone else coming later?"

"Huh? No, I'm eating with Happy here!" Natsu told her, as if it were obvious.

"Aye!" The cat raised a paw, sweat dropping. _Wah, why doesn't anyone ever count me?_

"Uh… Yes, of course. Please follow me," the server said, leading the odd-looking duo into the restaurant to a table near the back.

"I want fishies!" the Exceed grinned.

"Haha! And I want five plates of fire chicken!" the dragon slayer shouted gleefully as he sat down. The place was less lively than usual, due to the fact that it was way past dinner time. There were only a few other couples still eating, including a blonde and her sandy-haired partner.

"How would you like your fish...uh, sir? And five plates at a time? Would you perhaps like to order them one by one first, so you could be sure to finish them?" the server suggested.

"No, I can finish them!" Natsu responded with confidence.

"I would like my fish fat, please!" the clueless _neko_ told her, just as upbeat as his partner.

"I meant how you would like them cooked, sir. Steamed?" the waitress told the cat semi-impatiently.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Turning away, she groaned inwardly. _Why do I work here, again? So many weirdos..._

**On Lucy's date...**

Lucy smiled weakly as Hibiki tried to initiate a conversation. "So, Lucy, how have you been doing?" he asked smoothly. His smile was as bright as the fireplace that burned just a few feet away from them - reminding her yet again of Natsu.

"Huh? Um, yeah, I'm fine. Er… How are you?" she replied, slightly awkwardly.

"Perfect, now that I'm with you. You look beautiful today," he winked.

Lucy laughed nervously, but inside she flinched. Before, she would've found this charming and blushed furiously. It as if something had taken over her. She kept imagining Natsu everywhere. Like for instance, she was sure that she saw a blur of bright pink hair the exact same shade as a certain dragon slayer's just a couple tables away. And she could've sworn she heard his distinctive voice yelling some nonsense about fire chicken. Ugh. Now she was even hallucinating.

Tuning out most of Hibiki's flirty chatter, she poked at her food, nodding and humming at appropriate intervals. I was so excited about this date before… _Now all I want to do is go on a mission with Natsu._

**At Natsu and Happy's (messy) table...**

"This is so good!" Drooling, the dragon slayer began to dig into his sixth plate enthusiastically, much to the waitress's dismay.

"Aye!" the cat replied again with his favorite word. About to take a large bite of the juicy fish, he froze as he saw a flash of blonde hair. _Eh? Lucy's date is...here?_ Deciding not to inform his partner, he continued devouring his dinner. _Hehe. I'll just let Natsu see for himself._

Unaware of anything amiss, Natsu looked up as Happy cried out, pointing toward the window. "Look! It's Wendy and Carla!" Sprouting wings, he darted out the window, towards where the sky dragon slayer and her Exceed supposedly were, fish still in his paw. "Carla~! Wait for me! Where are you going?"

"Gah! Happy!" Natsu called after him, shocked, but the cat was long gone. _He just ditched me!_ He scowled, but his attention was shortly diverted.

_Eh?_ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar blonde head. _Looks like Lucy's hair._ Pulling his nose out of the tempting aroma of chicken, he sniffed the air. _Smells like her too! And is that...Hibiki? She's on a date with that playboy?_ Scowling even deeper, he swallowed his last bite and threw some Jewels on the table, acting impulsively.

Stomping over to her table, he glared at the archive mage. "Lucy! What are you doing with _him_?"

Bristling with indignation, the celestial mage snapped, "I'm on a date with him! Didn't I tell you not to bother me today?"

"Oh, and sitting here with Hibiki, of all people, doesn't bother you!" he retorted.

Lucy's date was taken aback. "What did I ever do to you?!"

"Just you being here with my _nakama_ is offensive to me. Come on, Luigi!" The flame mage tugged the girl out of her plush red seat.

"My name's not Luigi! What are you doing?!" she screeched as Natsu threw her over his shoulder. "_Baka_! Put me down!" she demanded, kicking her legs against him to no avail.

"Salamander! Where do you think you're going with _my_ date?" the sandy-haired man called after them.

Taking no heed of their cries, he strolled merrily out the restaurant, gaining many bemused stares. The waitress was no exception. _Did that food addict just...KIDNAP another customer? Really! I need a new job._ She sighed, turning back to assign her customer seats.

Natsu continued down the street to Lucy's apartment. _Why did I just do that? No, a better question would be, why did I feel like my stomach was burning? Had the fire chicken gone bad?_ He groaned.

The girl on his shoulder, having calmed down a bit, stared up at him. She was still annoyed at her guildmate for interrupting her date - although she secretly had to admit she was also thankful - but seeing him so completely out of it was worrisome. For one thing, he wasn't yelling her ear off; he was surprisingly quiet. "You okay, Natsu?"

"I think I had some bad chicken," he explained.

"Ah, well, feel better soon, okay?" Lucy told her best friend, a bright beam lighting up her face.

Natsu's heart raced at the sight of her smile. _What's wrong with me?!_ The dragon slayer was so lost in his thoughts that he walked past Lucy's front door.

"Natsu!" the blonde cried, slamming her fist against his chest. "My house is right here! And would you let me down? My back is starting to hurt…"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Bye!" Dropping her like a sack of hot potatoes on her steps, Natsu dashed off in the opposite direction. _Why do I feel so warm all over?_

"...What just happened?" the blonde asked no one in particular.

**Now with a panicking Natsu...**

_What the hell does this mean? Am I sick? I know! Wendy! I'll ask Wendy!_ Natsu sprinted towards the guild, calling out the blue-haired girl's name once he was within shouting distance. "Ne, Wendy!" he bellowed. Bursting into the guild, he immediately zoned onto the sky dragon slayer, who was sitting with Happy and Carla, the former trying desperately to offer the latter a fish.

"Natsu-san?" Wendy questioned worriedly in her high, clear voice. "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm sick!" Natsu cried frantically. Plopping himself down at her table, he listed his symptoms. "My stomach was burning, my heart started beating really fast, and my whole body got warm!"

"Woah, slow down!" the girl cried, hands held in front of her to stop him. "Start from the beginning, please!"

Taking a deep breath, the Salamander began telling his story. "I was at a restaurant eating fire chicken, and when I saw Lucy on her date, my stomach felt like it was on fire! I thought at first that the food had gone bad, but then Lucy smiled at me, my heart started beating really fast! That's not a side effect of food poisoning, right, Wendy? After, my entire body, but mainly my face, got really hot! And I never get hot!"

Wendy giggled, body relaxing. "Oh, Natsu-san, you're not sick. Well, not exactly..."

Happy popped into their conversation. "You're lovesick!"

"Why would you say that? I don't like anyone!" Natsu denied passionately.

"Hmph. What an idiot. Can't even realize his own feelings," Carla muttered under her breath.

"Natsu, it's pretty obvious. You came to me for a reason, right? Well, as a healer, I'm telling you what's wrong. You, Natsu Dragneel, like Lucy Heartifilia," Wendy stated matter-of-factly.

"I...like Lucy?" Natsu wrinkled his brow, deep in thought.

What was it about Lucy? Her encouraging words would always lift him up, no matter how pathetic he had felt. And he knew that whenever she was in trouble, he was compelled to save her. Although he would do the same for any of his _nakama_, it was especially strong with Lucy. The times when she was in danger, he could feel himself tense up with worry and panic. It was almost instinctive, his protective nature over her. If she was upset, he would do everything in his power to bring the smile back to her face.

Memories of the beautiful spirit mage suddenly flooded his mind like a movie. Catching Lucy as she fell out of the tower during their fight with Phantom Lord. Uprooting the rainbow sakura tree when she was sick because she wanted to see it so badly. Crying when he thought she was going to leave the guild...leave _him_.

_Maybe they're right; maybe I do like Lucy. Heh. Who the hell am I kidding?_ _I_ _REALLY_ _like Lucy_. _Thing is...how do I get her to like me?_ Natsu pondered. His thinking was disrupted by Happy yelling his name in his ear.

"Natsu! You're thinking! The world is ending!" the Exceed cried dramatically.

"Overreaction much?" Carla sniffed, but had to turn away to hide a smile at Happy's antics.

"Squinty Eyes is actually using his brain? That's a shocker," an abrupt voice entered into their conversation.

"Grr… Shut it, Popsicle," Natsu fired back. He lifted his head to look at the newcomers, Gray and Juvia.

_What's that?_ His eyes honed in on something Juvia was holding close to her heart. "Yo, Juvia, whatcha holding?"

"Gray-sama made Juvia a rose out of ice!" the water mage informed them dreamily. "Juvia is so thankful, Gray-sama!"

Blushing a deep red, Gray ran his fingers through his raven hair. "Anything for you, Juvia."

_That's it! I can use fire to make something for Lucy! Let's see..._ "Wendy, what do girls think are romantic?"

"Eh?" Gray, Juvia, and Wendy chorused.

"I'm going to make something for Lucy. Oh! I know!" A light bulb flashed over the head of salmon hair. "I'll burn a picture into a tree!" Natsu cried gleefully.

"Oooh, Natsu-san!" Wendy jumped up. "You should draw this..."

**With the dragon slayer off to get his girl...**

After hearing Wendy's brilliant idea, he raced towards Lucy's apartment, scaling the tree and hopping through the window like a ninja, startling the blonde, who was working on her novel.

"Natsu!" she cried. "What are you doing here? And use the door like a normal person next time!"

"Let's go, Lucy!" Natsu picked her up bridal-style. Lucy shrieked and thrashed around.

"Natsu! Why do you keep picking me up?" Lucy wailed. The Salamander merely grinned at her.

"Hold on tight, Luce!" With that warning, he leapt out the window. The girl in his arms screeched and tightened her hold around his neck.

"Natsu! Where are we going? Put me down! Why are you running so fast?"

"Damn, Lucy, you talk a lot. But that's one of the reasons I like you."

"Eh?!" Shocked into silence by his straightforward statement, the celestial mage turned bright red. Natsu chuckled, sprinting into the forest.

When the pair reached the flame mage's desired location, he set her down gently.

"Okay, now close your eyes. And don't peek!" Natsu said excitedly, lighting his hand on fire. Placing it close to the wide trunk of the cherry blossom tree, he began to lightly burn lines into the bark.

**After about 10 minutes...**

"There! Done! You can look now. You like it, Lucy?" Natsu asked hopefully.

Lucy's eyes fluttered open. She stared at the mess of charred bark and black soot. "Um… What is this supposed to be, exactly?"

"It's obviously supposed to be us! Can't you see the heads? This is mine, and that's yours." He pointed to a black smudge near the top of the "picture."

"...Sorry, but it looks nothing like us. Where are my arms? Why am I so fat? ...You're not really an artistic guy, are you?"

Natsu pouted, sprawling on the _sakura_ petal-covered floor in disappointment. "You don't like it?" His shining eyes faltered.

"No, that's not what I meant. I love it, Natsu." Her voice was soft as she knelt down to place a small peck on his cheek. The second the blonde's lips touched his skin, he felt a fire igniting deep in his stomach. Summoning all his courage, the lovesick dragon slayer scrambled up to his knees, facing her.

"N-natsu?" the celestial mage stuttered in shock, warily eyeing the devious smirk that had been painted on his face. "Wha-?"

Cutting the girl of his affection off, Natsu lifted her face to his and planted a sweet kiss on her lips, chills running up his spine. He sunk deeper into the kiss, finally realizing that he had been craving this for a long time. Perfect was the only word to describe it. When he finally ran out of air, he removed his lips from hers and blushed, staring at the petals floating around them. Unable to resist, the flame mage kept sneaking peeks from underneath strands of his pink hair at his partner's cherry-red face and wide eyes.

As for Lucy, she was speechless, mouth gaping open like a fish. _Who would've thought Natsu would make the first move?_ She smiled to herself, placing her slender fingers over her lips to hide it, but failing miserably.

Upon seeing her beam, Natsu exhaled a deep sigh of relief. "Lucy, you weirdo... I like you."

"I - I like you too, _baka_," she replied, face flushing.

"Haha, Lucy, you're so red!" the flame dragon slayer laughed.

"S-shut up!"

"You - " She cut Natsu off the only way she could think of: by re-connecting their lips.

And unbeknownst to them, a certain sky dragon slayer, white cat, and blue _neko_ were hiding behind one of of the large _sakura_ trees a couple feet away, watching the scene unfold. "Aw, they make such a cute couple!" Wendy squealed.

"Like you and Romeo would?" Happy commented.

Wendy, cheeks crimson, protested, "What?! No!" Ignoring the Exceed, she turned her attention back to newly formed couple. "Look at them…"

The blue cat raised his paw to his mouth and smirked.

"They lllllike each other."

_Chapter 2: NaLu/End_

* * *

_Author's Note: _Thanks so much for reading! We really appreciate the support that we get. A big shout-out to all those who favorited/followed/reviewed! :D It gives us so much encouragement to keep writing, because we're not lazy writers at all, ha... ha...

Just a warning to all readers: we're gonna be really busy over the course of the next few months, and might not be able to get another chapter out soon. Sorry guys T_T But we'll be back - and we're thinking Romeo and Wendy! I know it's not a popular ship but they are SO CUTE! We want to do GaLe as well, because they are SO CUTE! :3 If you have any requests, make sure to leave it in a review or PM me/**Queen50**! :)


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